Can i leave my wort over night to cool?

[S.E]

I've deliberately stretched a few of my cubes, they can hold 25L, right to the brim new ones will hold almost 23L

How did you deliberately stretch your cubes Yob?

 

[Yob]

40g Sodium Percarbonate and boiling water, seal cube and shake, the cube will swell with the perc going nuts, leave for a few minutes, release pressure and repeat as desired. (Protective eyeware a good idea)

You can also do similar by adding perc, bit of boiling water and topping up to full, and sealing and as the perc gives off the gas it'll expand the cube.


:icon_cheers:

 

[S.E]

40g Sodium Percarbonate and boiling water, seal cube and shake, the cube will swell with the perc going nuts, leave for a few minutes, release pressure and repeat as desired. (Protective eyeware a good idea)

You can also do similar by adding perc, bit of boiling water and topping up to full, and sealing and as the perc gives off the gas it'll expand the cube.


:icon_cheers:

Is it common practise for no chillers to stretch their cubes like this?
This thread (http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70056-carbingconditioning-in-a-cube-before-keg/ ) was lambasted and trolled after I said I used cubes as casks and deliberately allowed them to carbonate and swell up.

Shaking Sodium Percarbonate and boiling water sounds far more dangerous, have you ever had one explode doing this by any chance?

 

[manticle]

I've had them split at the seams so you do need to exercise caution. Backyard OHS - you are dealing with boiling hot solution. No dramatic explosions though.

I don't do it to stretch it though - just to clean. Leaving cubes in UV light weakens them quicker in my experience.

I think in the thread you are referring to, there was a misunderstanding as to the carb level being recommended - might be time to put that one to bed.

 

[Yob]

dunno of anyone else doing it but I wanted slightly larger cubes to accommodate my system,

I do say to wear protective eye wear just in case.. but no, never had any issues, wrapping a towel over the lids is probably a good idea but ive never worried about it, bung is always pointed away from me. Its only a few seconds shaking... and Ive only *done this when they are new and not aged or repeatedly used. The other method of adding the perc and topping up with water and sealing is just as effective to stretch them.

I'm familiar with the thread you mention, when shaking with the boiling water, you dont seal it as tight as when you are cubing for example, so there is still some pressure relief but not loose enough that you are spraying yourself with boiling water.

@Manticle, I often leave my cubes full of solution on the table out front of the shed for a week or so at a time, not saying it's great for them but Ive not had any failures to date and most of my cubes are a year or two old now.

*ed: better word

 

[manticle]

If they are blue willow cubes you will notice them fade.

 

[S.E]

I clean my cubes by shaking boiling caustic in them, I leave the cap a little loose though and the rubber ring inside the cube.

I did split a willow jerry can doing this and put it down to uv damage as manticle said. The plastic was brittle and cracked down one side, I was wearing a rubber glove at the time.

 

[S.E]

If they are blue willow cubes you will notice them fade.

It was actually a blue willow that split on me.

 

[S.E]

Interesting that yob leaves his cubes out in the sun with no probs so far. I also often left my cubes in the sun and never had a problem and I’m still using the same cubes. I don’t leave them in the sun for long anymore though.

The willow that cracked wasn’t very old maybe a year or two and had only been used as a fermenter not a cask so hadn’t been under pressure or stretched.

 

[S.E]

I've had them split at the seams so you do need to exercise caution. Backyard OHS - you are dealing with boiling hot solution. No dramatic explosions though.

I don't do it to stretch it though - just to clean. Leaving cubes in UV light weakens them quicker in my experience.

I think in the thread you are referring to, there was a misunderstanding as to the carb level being recommended - might be time to put that one to bed.

There was no misunderstanding regarding carb level being recommended, when I pointed out in another thread that an infected no chill cube could swell up and burst same as a cask cube I just received an extremely abusive personal attack and a link to a keg bulk buy.

I just think it a shame that some members on here are so stubbornly against the idea and try to put others off trying it with talk of electrical hazards, hydraulics and explosions etc.

 

[manticle]

There was no misunderstanding regarding carb level being recommended, when I pointed out in another thread that an infected no chill cube could swell up and burst same as a cask cube I just received an extremely abusive personal attack and a link to a keg bulk buy.

I just think it a shame that some members on here are so stubbornly against the idea and try to put others off trying it with talk of electrical hazards, hydraulics and explosions etc.

Well whatever it was it would be best put to bed or sorted out privately between members rather than being mentioned in every thread on cubes.

I take no sides nor do I wish to adjudicate. I also have no problem with the idea of cask conditioned real ale cubes.

 

[Bribie G]

When I used to no chill in Willows I got one of the last white 20L Willow Jerries. I emailed them and they said that they went to blue as it protects the cubes from degenerating in sunlight, being that most usage was by campers and 4WD enthusiasts who used them for water storage. Waste of a cube if you ask me.

However she did say that due to this, they made sure that the blue shyte was tastless, odourless and didn't leach out. Much.

Back on topic, a Willow Jerry is actually a better NC cube than a cube cube due to its more efficient surface to volume ratio. Sadly I had to move away from them as I no longer bottle and they hold way too much for a keg brew.
I still have a cube cube as a reserve, gets some use in the brewing comps season, but I usually split a batch of wort between two 10L jerries that cool down even quicker.

Edit: the Willows "stretch" themselves after many brews as they become somewhat bulged at the sides and can hold up to 25L.

 

[Spiesy]

One step forwards, two steps back.

You're quoting Paula Abdul in "Opposites Attract" here, right?

 

[manticle]

That's me. Paula all over for me. Such an amazing artist.

 

[fletcher]

Good discussion - has helped me map out my own procedure

1. Transfer from kettle to sanitised fermenter
2. Seal fermenter (inc air lock)
3. Leave to cool overnight on concrete floor
4. Put in ferment fridge with stc set at 18c following day
5. Pitch once 18c achieved on fermenter

Presumption is that fermenter is no different to a cube and this means one less transfer of wort

this is okay, as others have said, with a few caveats. namely head space but the other one i don't think others have mentioned as yet is giving it a good old splash around once it gets to 18C so you give your yeasties some oxygen love, before pitching.

 

[Florian]

Did you just call him 'love'? :huh:

As for cooling wort overnight, I only do this for Hefeweizens when I'm transferring directly from kettle to fermenter, fill headspace with Co2 and leave until pitching temp is reached.
I do this to deliberately starve the wort of oxygen, which in my setup and process and to my palate enhances the flavour profile of that style.